Vacherin-Style Yule Log

Before starting this Vacherin-style Yule Log recipe, organise the necessary ingredients for the cooked meringue.

Pour the egg whites in the food mixer recipient.

Add the castor sugar.

Combine with a whisk to incorporate the castor sugar.

Place the food mixer recipient over a bain-marie. Whisk the preparation until hot. When touching the preparation with the tip of your finger, you should feel a stinging sensation due to the heat. Watch the intensity of the heat, as it could cause the egg whites to coagulate.

Place the recipient in the food mixer and beat...

... until you obtain a meringue. Continue beating until the meringue is cold. The result is a Swiss meringue.

Scoop the meringue into a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle.

On a Silpat baking mat 40 x 30cm, pipe the meringues into the desired shapes. Sprinkle the meringues with red coloured granulated sugar. Bake at 80°C for 2 hours. Set aside. (You can also make coloured meringues by adding red colouring when beating the egg whites.)

For the macaron biscuit: Organise all the necessary ingredients.

Sift the almond powder, cocoa powder and icing sugar.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form...

... then add the castor sugar and beat again.

Combine the sifted ingredients with 1/3 of the meringue. Add the resulting preparation to the remaining 2/3 of the meringue...

... and combine gently with a rubber spatula.

Using a cranked spatula, spread the preparation on a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper.

Bake at 180°C (gas 4) for 10-15 minutes. When cooked, let cool and remove the greaseproof paper.

For the raspberry sorbet: Organise all the necessary ingredients.

In a saucepan, pour the sugar...

... and glucose syrup (melted in the microwave beforehand).

Bring to a boil and cook until the sugar is melted and has a syrupy consistency.

Pour the syrup over the raspberry purée.

Combine well.

Pour the preparation in an ice cream maker.

Churn...

... until it is starting to set and has the consistency of a sorbet.

When the churning process is complete, transfer into a recipient and place in the freezer.

When the custard is cold, transfer into the ice cream maker recipient...

... and churn until the consistency is homogeneous (about 30 to 40 minutes).

For the assembly stage: Scoop the vanilla ice cream into a piping bag (it is not necessary to fit it with a nozzle).

Pipe the ice cream at the bottom of a yule log mould.

Even the surface with a rubber spatula.

Cut the macaron biscuit into 2 rectangles, to the same dimensions as the yule log mould.

Place one rectangle of biscuit on top of the vanilla ice cream and press.

Steep the biscuit with a syrup, or with a mixture of cane sugar syrup and rum.

On top of the biscuit, pipe the raspberry sorbet using a piping bag (no nozzle required)...

... for a clean and neat result.

Even the surface with a metallic spatula.

Cover the sorbet with a second rectangle of biscuit. Press. Place in the freezer for all elements to set.

A few hours later, remove the log from the mould, using a blow torch on the sides of the mould.

Make sure you do not expose the mould to the heat for too long, as this would cause the ice cream to melt.

Place the log on a cake board and return to the freezer.

For the Swiss meringue: Organise all the necessary ingredients.

Pour the egg whites in the food mixer recipient.

Add the castor sugar.

Combine with a whisk to incorporate the castor sugar.

Place the recipient over a bain-marie prepared in a saucepan.

Whisk the preparation until hot. When touching the preparation with the tip of your finger, you should feel a stinging sensation due to the heat. Watch the intensity of the heat, as it could cause the egg whites to coagulate.

Place the recipient in the food mixer and beat...

... until you obtain a meringue. Continue beating until the meringue is cold. The result is a Swiss meringue.

Scoop the meringue into a piping bag fitted with a large flued nozzle.

Take the log out of the freezer.

Cover the lower part of the log with Swiss meringue.

Spread the meringue with a metallic spatula...

... and place the small decorating meringues prepared earlier (these can be made one or several days in advance).

Finish by piping the Swiss meringue on the whole surface.

Brown with a blow torch, making sure the meringue is not exposed to the flame for too long.

Garnish with a few red meringues.

Finish by placing small pieces of gold leaf on top of each red meringue. Reserve in the freezer until ready to serve.